There's nothing better to launch a band than a good old conspiracy theory
and rumourfest. Before The Enemy had played their first ever gig
rumours were spreading round the net quicker than Doherty could get his
next fix. It was suggested that the band were in fact members of Boy Kill
Boy, The Paddingtons and The Others in a supergroup and even when photos
arrived of Liam, Tom and Andy arrived even then they were accussed of trying
to cover up the true story of the Enemy. It's one of those stories that
could have blown over if it wasnt for the fact that Enemy have tunes that
this time next year you'll know as well as the bands they're accussed of
actually being.

In Manchester for their 5th ever gig the band take to the stage like
conquering heroes. Most of the fans in the audience tonight have downloaded
the material they've been pushing out since February and although they've
never met them they feel they know them already. With not so much as "street
teaming - what the f**K" and "The Feeling - who the f**k are they?" this
DIY combo set about converting Manchester to the Enemy rather than the
NME.

Vocalists Tom and Andy provide the perfect counterbalance. Tom looks
like he'll bottle you and then ask what you're looking at later while Andy
looks like a better looking Danny Mcfly with the rough and ready look of
Liam Gallagher. Liam just stands at the back beating the sh*t out of his
drumkit. Ripping their way through "40 Days and 40 Nights", "Dancing All
Night", "Had Enough" and "Boys In the Back Seat" they leave Designer Magazine wanting
more. With support slots with band such as The Rifles, Towers Of London
and Milburn coming up it's probably the last time we'll get to see them
in a venue like this.

The Jakpot are one of the few out of town bands to find themselves
accepted by the insular Sheffield scene. It testament to the arsenal of
songs that the Jakpot have that they've been able to build up an army of
Black Jaks that travel with them from their hometown of Manchester and
oldham all around the country and are more loyal than The Others 856 stage
diving shebang. After supporting Reverend And The Makers a few weeks ago
in Sheffield the band are back on home turf for a sold out single launch
for "Too Much Time".

With songs about not leaving a girl because you havent got a job or
borrowing money of yer mam to take a girl out to see your favourite band
there's similarities in their lyrical subject matter to that of the Monkeys,
but it delivered with some real northern humour that litters Coronation
Street, The Royle Family and back to Shelagh Delaney's "The Taste Of Honey".
Each song is a humourous monologue from start to finish encompassing humour,
tragedy and the whole range of emotions and its only the music which punctuates
this 100mph scattergun lyrical genius Matt Watkins.

By the end of the set 20 people have invaded the stage for a mass singalong,
imagine if Goldie Lookin Chain and So Solid Crew dressed in Oxfam casuals
with neckerchiefs and wastecoats and you can almost imagine the spectacle
of THAT many people on stage.

Both the Jakpot and The Enemy will be the most talked about bands of
2007, the only question is if they can transcend they scene's they're born
out of and appeal to those people who dont give a flying f**k about Myspace
or internet downloads